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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. craft — a skill
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rule — government
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rule — a law
  8. current — of water
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fine — high quality
  12. game — a match
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. current — electric
  16. fine — all right
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. race — a contest
  20. last — final
  21. current — happening now
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. lie — to recline

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com